Si Lei Zhenjun

Chu Xing sneaked up to the counter with five carefully selected picture albums like a thief, glancing at Qi Shunan from time to time.

Seeing that she wasn't paying attention to him, he handed the five illustrated albums to the bookstore owner and said "check out" as if nothing had happened.

The bookstore owner took it and flipped through it casually, with a slightly strange look on his face:

"Sir, the price of each volume in this edition is the same, and they are all hardcover albums, so the price is a little higher, twenty taels of silver per volume."

Chu Xing nodded seriously, took out a spirit stone and placed it on the counter.

The bookstore owner took the spirit stones, looked at Chu Xing with a smile and said:

"If you are interested in this edition of the album, the sixth volume will be out soon. If you have free time in the future, you may want to come to our shop again."

"it is good."

Chu Xing knew that even if he said that he bought them to destroy, the other party probably wouldn't believe him, so he just responded casually and was about to put the five picture albums into his storage bag.

"Apprentice, what did you buy?"

At this time, Qi Shunan came to his side with a bunch of books in her arms, and curiously leaned over.

Chu Xing was shocked and subconsciously wanted to put all the picture albums into his arms, but before he could do so, he was stopped by Qi Shunan.

"Humph, you still want to hide it from Master."

Qi Shunan snatched the book from his hand angrily and looked at the cover.

The cover was a colorful picture of a delicate, snow-white, and exquisite little foot, which was lifelike. The red nails on the white instep looked particularly bright, and there were a few big words written on it: "Jade Foot Illustration 1".

Chu Xing suddenly felt hopeless.

"Master... Master, please don't misunderstand me. I bought these for a friend. I personally have no interest in this kind of thing..."

Qi Shunan did not respond to his explanation, but just looked at him deeply.

There were many complex emotions in those eyes, including disgust, regret, shock, and even a hint of contempt.

Then, without saying a word, she stuffed all the picture albums in her hands back into Chu Xing's arms.

Chu Xing mechanically took the picture albums and put them into his storage bag with stiff movements. Then he paid for the pile of storybooks that Qi Shunan had bought.

The storybooks were very cheap, only two or three taels of silver per copy. Qi Shunan bought a bunch of them, but the total cost was not as high as his five copies.

However, this also made Chu Xing completely give up the idea of ​​returning to his old job.

Although it is profitable, the profit is too low. After deducting the cost, it is estimated that hundreds of books need to be sold to earn one spirit stone.

It is far less than when he was in Yunxiao Sect, where one book was sold for one spirit stone.

The master and the disciple left the bookstore and strolled side by side on the bustling street. The atmosphere was a bit dull and awkward, as if there was an invisible barrier between them.

Chu Xing wanted to open his mouth and explain again several times.

But every time he mustered up the courage to speak, he found that his master always leaned back slightly, and hid her slender feet under her snow-white and soft skirt.

This made him swallow his words back every time they came to his lips.

After a while, the two walked straight into a shop with a sign that read "Jubao Chamber of Commerce".

This was something Chu Xing had inquired about with Lan Qin a long time ago. It was one of the largest chambers of commerce in Huntian Immortal City, selling all the items that cultivators needed, such as elixirs, talismans, and spiritual medicines.

As you step through the door, the first thing that catches your eye is a spacious lobby with a rather low-key decoration style, but it also reveals elegant taste everywhere.

In the center stands a majestic coiled dragon pillar, on which coiled a ladder leading to the rooms on each floor. From a distance, the ladder seems to extend to the roof of more than ten floors.

In this magnificent hall, the dazzling array of goods is so dazzling that it is overwhelming.

There were extremely rare and precious elixirs, magical weapons that exuded a terrifying pressure, mysterious talismans with terrifying auras and dense runes, and countless other natural treasures that Chu Xing had never heard of...

When Chu Xing saw the prices, he suddenly felt like a poor guy who couldn't afford anything.

"Hello, gentlemen. What could you like to buy?" A waiter with a smile on his face came up quickly.

Chu Xingdao: "Moon Spirit Pill and Hanming Spirit Water, as well as some spiritual medicines."

When the waiter heard this, he nodded and said:

"Our shop charges 5,500 spirit stones for a bottle of Hanming Spirit Water and 1,200 spirit stones for a bottle of Yueling Pill. How much of each would you like to purchase, sir?"

A bottle of Yuelingdan costs 1,200 spirit stones?

If it weren't for the large scale of this chamber of commerce, Chu Xing would have suspected that he had come to a shady shop.

He only needed 600 spirit stones to buy it from Feng Chen. Although that was a friendly price, it was outrageous that it was twice as expensive.

"Are you taking advantage of me because I don't know anything about this? I only bought it from the sect for six or seven hundred spirit stones a bottle."

"Are you two disciples of the Eight Great Immortal Sects?"

The waiter immediately raised his eyes and explained with a smile:

"It's no wonder there's this misunderstanding. You two don't know that the main ingredient of the Moon Spirit Pill is a spiritual herb called Moon Spirit Grass, which is only grown within the Eight Great Immortal Sects. Outsiders who want to refine the Moon Spirit Pill must purchase it from the Eight Great Immortal Sects at a high price."

Chu Xing nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and said:

"Then I'll only need one bottle of Moon Spirit Pill. As for the Frost Spirit Water, if I buy nine, can you give me a discount?"

He had already used up all the Yueling Pills he had and didn't know when he would be able to return to the sect, so he had to reluctantly buy a bottle.

Afterwards, Chu Xing bargained with the waiter for a while, and finally bought nine portions of Hanming Spirit Water at the price of 5,200 spirit stones each. Together with the purchase of other auxiliary materials for preparing the body-quenching spirit liquid, he spent a total of more than 60,000 spirit stones.

Now he only has 340,000 spirit stones left. If you think about it carefully, there won't be much left after paying off the 300,000 foreign debts!

As for the 700,000 spirit stones that Jiang Lihuo took away last time, he asked for them back many times but to no avail.

To be honest, sometimes he really felt that Cui'er and Jiang Lihuo, the two great masters of tribulation, had no class at all and only knew how to steal the spirit stones of his small golden elixir.

She is far inferior to the master. At least she only steals other people's things and not her own.

Seeing Chu Xing throw out more than 60,000 spirit stones without blinking an eye, the waiter enthusiastically began to sell other products to Chu Xing:

"Sir, do you want to take a look at other things? Our Jubao Chamber of Commerce has all kinds of elixirs, spiritual medicines, natural treasures, skills and spells, etc. We have a complete range of products. Even if we don't have what you need, we can still search for it for you."

Chu Xing quickly waved his hand to refuse.

It’s not enough that he earned more than 60,000 spirit stones from me, and he actually wants to cheat me into spending money. No way?

He was about to turn around and leave the store when an idea that could help him make some money back suddenly came to his mind.

"Excuse me, do you accept spells here?"

The waiter was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Of course we do, but we only take spells that aren't in the Chamber of Commerce. We have all the common spells here. Are you looking to sell some spells?"

Chu Xing nodded and said confidently:

"The spell I want to sell was created by a great monk who has reached the perfection of the Hedao, and it has only been passed on to me so far."

The waiter couldn't help but show surprise on his face, and his attitude became more respectful:

"Alright, but I'm not capable of assessing the value of your spell. Please come this way. I'll take you to see Elder Du."

The waiter bowed and stepped forward to lead the way.

Chu Xing was about to catch up, but he found that his master was looking at the merchandise in the display cabinet with a gleam in his eyes.

Oh no, I seem to have forgotten that Master is a gangster.

What's the difference between taking her to the Chamber of Commerce and taking a gangster into a bank?!

And once Master starts committing a crime, I will definitely be considered an accomplice.

Then, eat free state meals...

Thinking of this, Chu Xing hurriedly grabbed her arm and leaned close to her ear to remind her:

"Master, Article 96 of the Dali Criminal Code states that anyone who robs property by violence, coercion, or other means shall be sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years, and a fine, depending on the severity of the circumstances. If the circumstances are aggravated, burglary may result in a fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years, life imprisonment, or the death penalty, and a fine or confiscation of property."

Chu Xing suddenly thought that his master was an outlaw and that the law might have no deterrent effect on her. He could only change his excuse:

"Master, think about our great plan of uniting good and evil. Don't let small gains lead to big losses. Just wait patiently for another thirty years. By then, we won't even have to fight for these things. They will be delivered to us on their own initiative..."

Chu Xing patiently coaxed her while looking at her with expectant eyes.

Qi Shunan reluctantly withdrew her gaze, then nodded solemnly towards Chu Xing.

Chu Xing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, gave her an affirmative look, gently pushed her snow-white back, and signaled her to follow the waiter leading the way in front.

The three of them followed the ladder to a room on the second floor.

This is a spacious quiet room, with wisps of incense gently filling the air. The interior furnishings are simple yet exquisite.

There was an old man in the room, wearing a plain robe and with white hair, but his eyes were still as sharp as lightning.

At this moment, he was sitting on a throne, sipping tea and looking through the account book.

The waiter whispered something in the old man's ear.

Elder Du raised his hand towards the two of them and said, "Two young friends, please take a seat."

Little friend?

Chu Xing secretly worried for the other party, but fortunately his master didn't seem to mind it and followed him to his seat calmly.

"Do you two have any new spells for sale that were created by a cultivator who has achieved perfection in the Dao?"

Elder Du did not exchange pleasantries with the two of them and went straight to the point.

"Yes, senior."

Chu Xing took out the jade slip that recorded the "Wind and Thunder Killing Technique", but did not give it to the other party immediately.

Monks basically have a photographic memory, so showing it to the other party directly is no different from giving it to them for free.

Elder Du naturally understood his concerns and smiled.

"My Treasure Merchants Guild usually uses two different procedures when purchasing spells. The first is for you to directly hand over the upper or lower half of the spell to me for appraisal.

After I make a rough estimate of the spell's value, if you think the price is right and agree to the deal, then you will need to hand over the entire spell to me intact.

Then I will send someone to verify whether this spell can be successfully performed. Only when the verification result is correct will we hand over the corresponding number of spirit stones to you, young friend."

"The second option is relatively simple. Demonstrate the spell to me and I will estimate the price. If you agree, you can simply hand it over to me for appraisal. Once the appraisal is correct, I will give you the spirit stone."

"Then I'll demonstrate it to you, Senior."

Chu Xing chose the second option without thinking. The first option was too complicated and it would probably take most of the day just to go through the process.

……

In a courtyard of the Meng family mansion in Huntian Immortal City.

The stone bridge is winding, the corridor is deep, and there are lush flowers and trees on both sides of the bluestone path. Occasionally, the sound of birds breaks the tranquility.

In a corner of the courtyard, a sandalwood cradle sways gently, like the hum of time.

Next to the cradle, a woman wearing a long dress with elegant fine stripes and a delicate bow tie around her waist glanced gently at the baby in the cradle.

Her eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, and her fingertips gently brushed across the child's tender cheek, her love and affection beyond words.

However, deep in her seemingly calm eyes, there were undercurrents, and tears were brewing in her eyes, but they refused to fall easily.

She slightly opened her red lips and hummed an ancient lullaby. Her voice was like a gurgling stream, soft and full of warmth, as if it could soothe people's hearts, and seemed to be trying to drive away the subtle sadness in her heart.

The woman's name is Meng Xiang. She is the only daughter of Meng Xiao, the current head of the Meng family. The Meng family is a not-so-remarkable cultivator family in the Huntian Immortal City.

More than thirty years ago, Meng Xiang, who was in her youth, and Liu Wen, the legitimate son of Marquis Yongning, met by chance on the street.

Meng Xiang has a graceful figure and a pretty face, while Liu Wen has a dignified and handsome appearance.

When their eyes met, the seeds of love quietly sprouted in their hearts and quickly grew and spread.

In just half a year, the two were already discussing marriage.

However, since ancient times, marriage has always emphasized the importance of matching the two families' social status. Although the Meng family and the Yongning Marquis' Mansion are both families of cultivators, there is a world of difference between their sizes and strengths.

The Yongning Marquis' Mansion was powerful, and Liu Wen's parents looked down on Meng Xiang, a girl born in a humble family, and only agreed to let Meng Xiang marry Liu Wen as a concubine.

Meng Xiang's parents knew very well how bad prejudice was in the eyes of the big families. They were afraid that their daughter would be looked down upon everywhere after marrying into the Yongning Marquis's Mansion, so they earnestly advised their daughter not to act impulsively.

But Meng Xiang, who was blinded by love, didn't care about all this. In order to show her determination, she even threatened to commit suicide. In the end, she got her wish and married Liu Wen as a concubine.

"Xiang'er?"

Meng Xiang was staring at the sleeping baby in the cradle with a wandering gaze when she suddenly heard her father Meng Xiao calling her name softly.

She immediately came back to her senses, staring at Meng Xiao, whose hair was half white and whose face was full of concern, and forced a smile and said, "Father, you still have a lot of important things to do in your clan. You don't have to take time out every now and then to accompany your daughter."

Although Meng Xiao was smiling, his bright eyes were filled with worry: "Xiang'er, this time it's not Daddy who's looking for you, but a distinguished guest from the City Lord's Mansion."

As Meng Xiao spoke, he moved to the side. Only then did Meng Xiang notice that there was a gentle and pretty woman in a green dress standing behind him.